Good morning, Reading.

Memorial benches are installed outside Walnuttown Fire Co. to honor fire chiefs Jeff Buck and Robert Shick who were killed in an April accident on Route 222.

Cody Kerschner from Dusk and Dawn Creations spent hours crafting the benches (ensuring their legacy endures) for the community.

West Reading resident Melina Oscer celebrated her 100th birthday with an early party on Thursday and will mark the milestone on Monday.

The joyful gathering honored her long life with family and friends.

City crews began replacing the fencing at Caramel’s Dog Park (Schlegel Park) on Sept.

24 and closed the upper parking lot for at least two weeks; visitors should use the hill parking and walk across the field to access the park.

Friend Inc. Community Services opened a new food pantry in Kutztown (one block off Main Street) in a renovated 100-year-old ice house that is walkable and on the student shuttle route.

The permanent facility will expand food support programs for local neighbors in northeast Berks County.

Inaugural Berks Book Crawl invites readers to explore five independent bookstores from Saturday, Sept.

26 until Oct. 4. The event offers passport stickers, author signings, and treasure hunts at select shops (Book Coven in Kutztown is hosting a hunt).

Theron Cook, a local artist from North 9th Street, has united Reading communities with art by leading free workshops, organizing murals like the Olivet’s and the Reading Pagoda, and launching his Don't Quit Foundation for creative mental health support.

He is now planning his biggest mural south of Penn.

The Greater Berks Development Fund announced it has secured nearly $1.6 million from a Local Share Account-Statewide grant to support projects in Berks County, with $800,000 for Friend Inc. Community Services in Kutztown, $688,709 for Schuylkill River Greenways to improve a Reading trail, and $104,328 for Opportunity House in Reading.

State Rep. Eric Weaknecht hosted a forum at Reading Regional Airport Tuesday as residents raised concerns over Route 183’s current safety issues while PennDOT outlined $50 million in long-term upgrades.

Officials stressed design constraints — quick fixes like stop signs were ruled out amid calls for faster action.

Fleetwood senior Cameron Peffel won the boys individual title today at the BCIAA Golf Championships at Golden Oaks Golf Club, finishing with a 27-hole score of 108 + a two-stroke lead over Muhlenberg’s Billy Niklolaidis.

High school football starts today as Exeter hosts Gov. Mifflin at 7 p.m. in a long-held Berks rivalry; Exeter's Eagles, coming off a 7-0 win, are expected to challenge the Mustangs, who are seeking their first win this season.

At Golden Oaks Golf Club on Wednesday, Oley Valley won the BCIAA golf championships when Michael Henin’s 86 on the decisive fifth hole beat Exeter’s 97 + giving the Lynx their first team title since 1998.